Lack of luck or stupidity

Well, I've finally caught one this year. How sad an opening remark is that and it wasn't without difficulty either. The day before I decided to do some lure fishing on an evening tide over low. Earlier that day I had collected a washing machine and driven back for an hour without it moving in the back of my car, but as my son was out that day decided to leave it there for his return.

So when I put my rod into the car I never thought for one moment there would be a problem, but following a slow bend the washing machine decided this was the right time to slide across the back. I heard a crack, looked at the top half of my rod and thought that doesn't sound good.

I pulled up, got out of the car, lifted the tail gate to see now squeezed next to the washing machine was my cleanly snapped lure rod. I stood there for a moment with the sea to my left before closing the gate and sitting in my car contemplating my lack of luck and my stupidity.

So last night having taken the dogs out and realising how lovely the evening was, I made the decision to fish over low and up with some bait. The spot I wanted to fish was free and it wasn't long before a whole joey was gently placed close-in in the now growing darkness. All was right with the world and it felt really nice to be fishing again.

The wind although gentle was building rather than dropping as predicted and had a slight chill of autumn in it, but I was warm enough and enjoying the conditions. Crabs and small fish were evident from the off, until as the tide turned and started to move in at spring pace, I started to receive pout or pollack type rattles. Then the mackerel was taken out to sea in a very slow, almost dogfish, type run.

This gentle state of affairs continued for a while, so assuming the worst I reeled in expecting to find a dogfish on the line, when the sea exploded and off tore a bass. Well that was a surprise for both of us! The fight was short but spirited and I was soon admiring a lovely bass of 21" (to the fork) that was probably just shy of 4lbs.

She went back strongly and I was thinking I could be in for a really good night, but sadly everything switched off after that. I should have waited for the second surge of tide movement but I decided that was my lot. A great night and I will be back very soon.